The two connected post and beam barns at Sabbaday Lake Shaker Village were built in 1830.
Photo Credit : Sara Gray
Long-time contributing photographer Sara Gray spent the winter of 2013 photographing the classic New England barns of southeast Maine for our print pages, but striking images weren’t the only thing her lens captured. From the caretakers who work tirelessly to preserve these iconic structures to the animals who find shelter within them, the four barns in New Gloucester, Maine that she focused on all have tales to tell. These striking Maine barn photographs each convey a story that continues to evolve.
See the Yankee 2014 feature: Classic Barns of Maine | Sense of Place
Maine Barns in Winter
The front barn at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, the only active Shaker community left in existence. Photo Credit : Sara GrayThe two connected post and beam barns at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village were built in 1830. Photo Credit : Sara GrayWeathered barn board and a stone foundation in fresh snow at the Shaker village. Photo Credit : Sara GrayResident sheep make their home in the bottom floor of the Shaker barn. Photo Credit : Sara GrayBrother Arnold Hadd is the main caretaker of the farm’s livestock. He knows all of the animals by name. Photo Credit : Sara GrayBeams anchor the interior structure at the Shaker barns. Photo Credit : Sara GrayThe barn and farmland at Intervale Farm have been in the family for 3 generations. Photo Credit : Sara GrayFarm owner Jan Wilcox is dwarfed by the large barn doors. Intervale Farm is quiet in winter, but has a large pumpkin and gourd operation in the autumn. Photo Credit : Sara GrayThe ever growing collection of Jan’s gourds line the beams in the interior of the barn. Photo Credit : Sara GrayThe family dog Midge rests in front of the ell that connects the house to the barn at Intervale Farm. Photo Credit : Sara GrayMorgan Hill Farm continues to evolve under current owners Judi and Laird McClure. In addition to growing fresh vegetables and offering homemade baked goods, it is a working farm with a variety of livestock. Photo Credit : Sara GrayA detail of weathered doors in the former horse barn at Morgan Hill Farm. Photo Credit : Sara GrayOne of the Scottish Highland cow the McClures are raising at Morgan Hill Farm. Photo Credit : Sara GrayInterior of one of the older barns at Morgan Hill Farm. Photo Credit : Sara GrayThe Morin barn is a labor of love and a work in progress for current owner Carmel Morin and his extended family. Photo Credit : Sara GrayA pair of barn cats at the Morin Farm. Photo Credit : Sara Gray
See more of Sara’s work at saragray.comThis post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.